Chinese Palace (St. Petersburg, Oranienbaum): Opening hours, photo

The magnificent St. Petersburg is famous all over the world for its historical, cultural and architectural monuments. And not all of them are within the city limits. Stunning neighborhoods of the Northern capital cause no less interest among tourists. One of these suburbs is located 40 km from the city. This is Lomonosov. Before it was called Oranienbaum. Here is an interesting museum-reserve, which contains architectural masterpieces of the XVIII century. An excursion to Oranienbaum with a visit to the Chinese Palace will make a huge impression on you.

History

On these picturesque lands on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, the first to notice was the associate of Peter I and his closest aide Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, who decided to build his country residence here.

Thus appeared the famous Grand Palace, which, with its luxury and splendor, eclipsed the palace of Peter the Great himself, which at the same time was erected in Peterhof. Near was the picturesque Lower Garden.

In 1727, Prince Menshikov fell into disgrace and was sent into exile. All his property, including the palace in Oranienbaum, was transferred to the state treasury. In 1743 the great Russian Empress Elizaveta Petrovna presented her son, who later became the Russian Emperor Peter III.

The new owner built the ensemble of Peterstadt, which included a powerful fortress and a palace. When Catherine II came to power, a new stage of construction began in Oranienbaum. The Empress created her summer residence here and built a beautiful palace "Own Dacha".

The Menshikov Palace

As we already mentioned, the Grand Palace in Oranienbaum was built by the first owner - Prince Menshikov (1710-1727). By size and luxurious decor, he was no equal in St. Petersburg and the suburbs. The palace is not for nothing called the Great. The monumentality of this building is attached to its location on the hill. This gives the impression that the palace seems to hover over the shore. From the front terrace down. To the main building adjoin from two sides one-story wings, culminating in two pavilions - Eastern and Church. They are adjoined by the Kitchen and Frauleyn wings. Peter III changed the palace interiors. The eastern pavilion, due to the fact that in its interior there were more than two hundred items of Chinese and Japanese porcelain, began to be called Japanese.

Chinese Palace (Oranienbaum)

This magnificent structure was erected in 1762-1768. The author of the project and the head of the construction was the architect Antonio Rinaldi, who was famous at that time . This name is associated with the most important period in the creation of the architectural ensemble in Oranienbaum. Italian by origin, he came to Russia at the invitation of K. G. Razumovsky. Here he lived for many years, finding a second home on Russian soil. Without exaggeration, we can say that the Chinese Palace, together with other priceless monuments of those times, belongs to the recognized masterpieces of Russian architecture. This is a unique building that deserves detailed study. The name that the Chinese Palace (St. Petersburg) received is conditional. In the external appearance of the building there is nothing in common with the architecture of China. Only in some rooms were used decorative Chinese motifs, fairly freely interpreted. In the palace was collected a huge collection of works of Chinese art and Japanese porcelain. Part of this collection has survived today.

Architectural features

The Chinese Palace (Oranienbaum) is a relatively small, slightly elongated building that resembles a park summer pavilion. It is surrounded by a low panel of stone slabs and a decorative cast-iron grate. Two small parterre gardens are broken in front of the facade. They are organically inscribed in the general composition of the building and, according to the architect's intention, have become an integral part of it.

The same role is played by the huge age-old oaks, which were specially planted when laying the building: they seem to connect it with a large park. The middle part of the structure is slightly overstated, it is its composition center. The facades are decorated with pilasters. The glazed doors and windows are decorated with stucco frames.

Changes to the palace

The Chinese palace in the beginning was one-story. Only in the overestimated part of it (from the southern facade) at the top there were one or two rooms that did not have decorative trim.

The second floor above the ledges (risalitami) of the southern facade was made by AI Shtakenschneider in the late 40-ies of the XIX century. Somewhat later, he added to the eastern part of the building an annex with one room - a large anti-chamber, which adjoined the Hall of the Muses.

In 1853, L. Bonstedt made the same annex to the west wing of the building, and also reconstructed the center of the southern facade. Here he created a glazed gallery.

The interior of the palace

The Chinese Palace (Lomonosov) is designed in such a way that its appearance, combination of volumes, proportions and proportions of individual parts determine the location of the internal premises. All of them had different purposes.

The plan of the palace is symmetrical and compositionally balanced. It is characterized by an enfilade system - interconnected interiors are on the same axis. The center of symmetry is the Great Hall. It has a height of 8.5 meters. Usually, such ceremonial halls, sometimes called Italian, play an important role as an organizing link in the planning of the palace.

On the two sides of the hall are the Lilac and Blue Lounges, as well as the offices (Small Chinese and Steklarusny). The Enfilade is completed by the Hall of the Muses and the Great Chinese Cabinet.

Architectural style

The Chinese palace (Lomonosov) was built when the Russian architecture was in a transition period. Decorative techniques, actively used in the fifties of the XVIII century, ceased to meet artistic requirements, and the emerging classicism was not yet fully formed in architecture.

In the appearance of the facades of the palace, the features of this transitional period are very bright. The decorativeness and excessive splendor of previous buildings gave way to the simplicity and conciseness of the artistic decoration. This is more typical for developing classicism.

The Chinese palace was built and decorated by talented masters of the time - masons, mosaicists, marble workers, parquet makers, gilders, wood carvers and others.

Parquet

Photos of the Chinese palace can often be seen in glossy publications not only in Russia, but also abroad. Its luxurious decoration is of interest to many generations of researchers of Russian art.

I would like to talk about the unique parquet floors of the museum. 772 square meters of parquet are collected from many domestic and foreign wood species. Among them, pink, red, lemon and ebony, amaranth, rosewood and boxwood, oak and Persian nut and many others. In some rooms there are up to fifteen species.

Wooden slats were pasted in the form of different patterns on separate boards. Then small patterns were burned out or cut out. For each room was designed a special pattern of parquet, which was attached to the rest of the interior. Parquets are very valuable. By their design and manner of execution, they have no equal in our country.

Painting

The Chinese palace is organically decorated with the most valuable examples of decorative painting. Numerous panels, wall paintings, plafonds occupy an important place in its interiors. Their value is difficult to overestimate. The collection of plafonds, stored here, is distinguished by high craftsmanship. There is no such collection in any of the surviving Russian palaces. For decoration of rooms and rooms, first-class works of applied and fine arts were acquired. Most of the plafonds, which were painted on canvases, were made in Venice by a group of famous painters of the Academy of Arts.

Palace after the revolution

After 1917, the Chinese Palace became a museum. It was able to attend all comers. It became possible to scientifically based restoration, as well as the competent storage of its artistic values. In the period from 1925 to 1933, serious work was carried out on the restoration of decorative painting.

Glass cabinet of the Chinese Palace

This room is rightfully considered the most famous peace of the palace. The glass cabinet has preserved the original finish of the 1860s. Its walls are decorated with priceless panels. These are such canvases on which the exquisite embroidery with a glass bead is made.

This material was produced at a mosaic factory in the vicinity of Oranienbaum, which was founded by the great scientist MV Lomonosov. Against the backdrop of a glass beads with silk (chenille) embroidered compositions depicting fantastic birds in the background of a picturesque landscape. For a long time, researchers believed that the panels were made in France. However, now there was evidence that they were made by nine Russian women, the gold medal. The panels are in frames with gilded carvings. They mimic the trunks of trees, twined with flowers, leaves and bunches of grapes.

Gilded frames have a length of 3 meters 63 centimeters and a width of about one and a half meters. Some frames are complemented by figures of dragons. The gilding game is very expressive due to the depth of the relief, which reaches 18 centimeters.

Lower Garden

This is an outstanding example of landscape art. It is part of the complex of the Grand Palace. In the center of the garden, there were parterre with numerous and rather rare flowers. They are surrounded by rows of maples, lindens and firs. In addition, fruit trees were planted here - cherry trees, apple trees, etc. The garden is decorated with fountains and sculptures.

Upper park

This park is divided into two parts. In its eastern part is the complex of Peterstadt, and in the western part - the complex "Own Dacha". The present appearance of the Upper Park was created at the beginning of the 19th century. The bridges, which fit seamlessly into its landscape, as well as architectural structures, give it a special appeal.

When can I visit the palace?

This information is necessary for everyone who is going to visit the Chinese Palace. Opening hours: from 10.30 to 19.00. On Monday, the museum staff are resting.